Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an imprint method for forming a pattern on an imprint material by bringing a mold and an imprint material on a substrate into contact with each other and curing the imprint material while maintaining the contact.
Description of the Related Art
An imprint technology is known as a technology for producing semiconductor devices and the like. The imprint technology forms a pattern on an imprint material supplied on a substrate, by using a mold on which a corresponding pattern is formed.
In the imprint technology, if foreign particles adhere onto the pattern formed on a mold when the mold and the imprint material are brought into contact, the pattern cannot be accurately formed on the substrate.
Therefore, it is necessary to remove the foreign particles from the mold before forming the pattern on the substrate. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-266841 discusses an imprint apparatus into which a dummy wafer is carried before forming a pattern on a wafer that is a substrate. In the imprint apparatus, after the imprinting is performed on the dummy wafer, which is carried into the imprint apparatus, and foreign particles is removed from the mold, the dummy wafer is carried out of the imprint apparatus.
However, although foreign particles adhering to the mold is removed by using a dummy wafer as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-266841, it is still conceivable that foreign particles may adhere to the mold when a wafer that is not a dummy (i.e., an actual device wafer) is carried into the imprint apparatus after the dummy wafer is carried out of the apparatus. Therefore, in a shot region where a pattern is formed for the first time, there is a risk that the effect of foreign particles may make it impossible to accurately form the pattern.